We’re quite certain some of y’all are still probably banging Dego’s first solo release, A Wha’ Him Deh Pon?, which released last year.

We are proud to premiere a rather dope short film based on the tuneful work by writer, director, and producer Tim Gregory. The story is about a DJ and the only girl in town who truly understands his genius.

For those who had the privilege of attending last week’s Giant Step Thursdays event at YOTEL New York, you know what an amazing time it was. Beautiful people, dancing, and music from not one, but four incredible talents. Dego and Rich Medina kept the crowd live all night with their selections, while Maya Azucena and Sophia Urista tore the house down with their killer performances.

It was a special night. Sophia’s Betty Davis swagger knocked more than a few off their feet, and Maya captivated the crowd with new tunes from her recent album, Cry Love, which is currently available on iTunes.

Save the date for our upcoming installment next Thursday, August 11th. See you at YOTEL New York!

Dego’s (4hero, Silhouette Brown) solo debut album, A Wha Him Deh Pon?, is now here! Released on the visionary producer’s own label, 2000Black, the 20-track album features Georgia Anne Muldrow, Taylor McFerrin, Ferraz, Nadine Charles, Face, Matt Lord, Kaidi Tatham, and others. The ceaseless innovator carries on how he knows best: twisting and teasing genre boundaries, blending classic and future sounds to create music that is profoundly familiar and new. Above, you’ll find an album sampler to tease your earbuds. After the jump, check out Dego’s “Monday Blues” video.

In case you missed it a few weeks ago, also check out DJ Brainchild’sIt’s All Over The Placemixtape celebrating the expanse that is Dego’s catalog.

Brooklyn based music aficionado and our pal DJ Brainchild was commissioned by the highly revered sound magician Dego (2000Black, 4Hero, Silhouette Brown) to create a mixtape chronicling his works, old and new alike. Brainchild took care to perfect a delicate balance between well known tracks, lesser known “overlooked” tracks, and hidden gems many probably didn’t know existed. His favorite from the mix include: 4Hero’s “Hold It Down,” Da One Away’s “Trash Da Junk,” Dego’s “What ever” and 2000 Black’s “If You Got 3 Wishes” and “Got Me Puzzled.”

While we plan to keep our ears open for the exciting new projects of 2011, there’s some acts we’ve already declared winners. Here’s a short list gathered from various staff members:

+ Anything Janelle Monáe related
+ the sophomore album from Adele, 21, including “Rolling in the Deep” and studio footage
+ Plan BUS debut of live show and The Defamation of Strickland Banks
+ New Nneka
+ Jessie J - Who You Are and everything she does on YouTube
+ Nikki & Rich to finally release Everything + Estelle to release All of Me
+ Jean Grae – Cake or Death from Blacksmith Records
+ Jack Splash – to show us the Future Of The Funk+ Wilder Zoby‘s solo EP (snippet)+ Little Shalimar album
+ Melanie Fiona – The MF Life+ more Kinky Notti videos like this, plus a full-length album+ Cubik Zirconia album
+ whatever Georgia Anne Muldrow does with Some Otha Ship Connect+ Alice Russell & Quantic on Tru-Thoughts+ wild new dance moves from Rye Rye and her album Go! Pop! Bang!+ The Avalanches’ 2nd album (plus all the promo mixtapes they’re going to (re)release)
+ Induce full-length & remixes
+ Ellie Goulding to finally release Lights and more remixes
+ the solo return of Marsha Ambrosious, Late Nights & Early Mornings+ the self-titled debut of Hope+ Jamiroquai to return to the US, possibly by helicopter+ Laura Izibor
+ more solo work from Q-Tip and definitely more on the film+ the next installment from Esperanza Spalding: Radio Music Society+ Lykki Li
+ Talib Kweli
+ Lupe Fiasco obviously
+ for Shawn Lee to open the gates to his World of Funk
+ another heater from Eric Roberson as a follow-up his Grammy-nomination
+ for Mocean Worker to keep us in motion with his next album
+ the debut LP from Dego, the acclaimed Silhouette Brown producer
+ for Ancient Astronauts to embark on a journey Into Bass and Time
+ more from Coco / I Blame Coco with The Constant
+ new album from Toro y Moi
+ and Crookers new album